1/25 Presentation Methods / Finding Your Organization

I thought I'd touch on both of these topics this week, because they both interest me. One aspect of my job involves helping people develop presentations that can be recorded and archived in a web-based learning management system. So I've been experimenting with a number of different approaches lately. We've used a number of different systems, some designed specifically for this sort of use (BrainShark, Centra Live), and others with broader applications (Camtasia, Lectora). So far, I am most comfortable with Lectora, which allows you to import a powerpoint presentation, record directly into the Lectora software, then produce the whole thing as an html file. For my presentation tomorrow, though, I am trying to record directly into a powerpoint presentation, simply because I've never done it and want to see how it works. 

With regard to finding an organization to write for, I am still trying to narrow my area of focus. I've been browsing kind of aimlessly through massive lists of nonprofits, and am a little overwhelmed. I am thinking something disability-related, however, since I have a personal interest in that. There seems to be no shortage of possibilities. There is a nonprofit group supporting individuals with arthrogryposis, my son's disability, and that seems like a good possible starting point. 

What problems do you want to solve?

The problem I most want to solve is one affecting my own family. My 16-year-old son was born with a fairly severe physical disorder, arthrogryposis, which greatly limits the use of his arms. Essentially, he has no functioning biceps, and his elbows are fused and unbending. While elbow replacements are entirely possible, that option is complicated by the lack of a bicep. We are hopeful that advances in medical technology will open up new avenues for us over the course of the next few years, but meanwhile....I would like nothing more than to find adaptive technology funding that would enable him to drive. So that's the direction I plan to take in this class, assuming I can find potential sources. I have only begun to look, so cannot be sure just yet.